Five dead in Russia helicopter crash

Five people died when a helicopter on a commercial flight crashed and burst into flames in a remote region of Far Eastern Russia, the emergency situations ministry said.

Rescuers found the bodies of four crew members and one passenger in the burnt-out wreckage of the Mi-8 helicopter in the Khabarovsk region after a two-day search. The helicopter was carrying three tons of cargo, the ministry said.

The helicopter had taken off from the village of Tugur on the Sea of Okhotsk and was flying to the remote inland village of Briakan when it crashed on Thursday.

The helicopter belonged to the flying club of an armed forces voluntary association. Military investigators have opened a probe into a breach of flight rules.

The last crash involving an Mi-8 helicopter in Russia killed nine people in Siberia in May.